Railroad danger-signal



(No Model.)

P. ALLEN.

RAILROAD DANGER SIGNAL.

Patented May 8, 1889.

LAW- M fan/me UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS ALLEN, OF KANSAS CITY, KANSAS.

RAILROAD DANG ER-SIG NAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 403,981, dated May 28, 1889.

I Application filed December 31, 1888. Serial No. 295,025. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANCIS ALLEN, a cit-izen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of \Vyandotte and State of tion, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in railroad danger-signals.

The object is to provide means for notifying an engineer of a train of any displacement of the rail or its support where it passes over a ravine, stream of water, or wherever it is supported by a bridge, or when the ends of two meeting rails are disturbed either intentionally to wreck the train or accidentally.

With these ends in view my invention con sists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of a portion of a railway-track, showing signaling devices on opposite sides of a bridge, one of the signaling devices being shown with cover removed and the other with cover on, the positions of the parts to signal danger being shown in full lines and their normal positions being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through one of the signal-boxes,'showin g the signal-arm in position to indicate danger. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section showing the. signal-wire secured to move with the rail and the signal-arm pivot provided with a support for a signal-light, and Fig. 4 is an attachment for a bridge to operate the wire and set the danger-signal in case of fire before the bridgetimbers sag.

A A represent the rails, to a, &c., the crossties on which the rails rest, and B the stringers which support the tiesas, for example, over a bridge. In Fig. 1 one of the stringers is supposed to have been cut, as shown at b, for the purpose of wrecking the train as it passes over the bridge.

0 represents one of the boxes, which'is calculated to form a shield and support for the signal-arm. It is preferably formed of castiron, and is provided with a recess, 0, in the bottom of which the signal-arm D is pivoted, as shown at (Z. Through the side of the boX toward the rail A there is formed a narrow slot, E, through which the pivoted arm D is adapted to swing to carry its free end over the face of the rail A, and at one end of the slot E there is a recess, 6, formed, adapted to receive the arm D when the latter is swung out over the rail, to insure the pressure of the free end of the arm flat upon the rail to prevent its displacement by the wheels of the engine. The arm D, or that portion of it which extends out over the rail, is preferably formed of steel, and is thin and fiat, and is provided at its free end with pockets or clamps d, or other well-known holding devices to retain thereon torpedoes (1 or other explosive cartridges. To further insure the depression of the end of the arm D onto the face of the track, a spring, F, is provided, which is secured at one end to the box-cover G, and its opposite end rests on the arm D. The spring is so shaped and of such tension that it will admit of the arm D being freely swung at first, but will press more upon it as it reaches its limit of outward swing.

The signal-wire H is connected to the arm D a short distance from its pivot, to give it the necessary purchase, its opposite end being connected with a similar signal-arm similarly arranged on the opposite side of the bridge, to warn trains coming from that direction. The wire is loosely supported along the side of the rail A, in plain sight where watchmen and passers-by are frequent, but concealed beneath the rail, as shown in Fig. 3, where the place is lonely and foul play liable to happen, and along the stringer B across the bridge.

In Fig. 1 the stringer B is supposed to have saggcd because of its weakness, or cut, and to have carried with it the wire, which has inimediately thrown out the signal-arms D over the rail in position for the torpedoes to be exploded by the pressure of the wheels. Any displacement of the rails to which the wire is secured would of course effect the same resuit.

The signal-boxes may be at any suitable distance apart, and may be so constructed and anchored as to attract but little attention.

The pivot d, on which/the signal-arm D turns, may be loosely journaled in suitable bearings, and the arm D be fixed to the pivot so as to cause it to turn with the arm. Such a construction is shown in Fig. 3, where a support, I, for a signal-light is attached to the pivot and caused to be turned when thearm is thrown out.

The wire may be conveniently secured to the rail by a strap, K, bent at the middle to conform to the groove in the tie or stringer, and having its ends fastened to the flanges of the rails, by bending them slightly around the edge of the flange, for example. I

The above-described device is a simple and effective one, and can readily be applied to the roads now built to render them safer against loss of life and property.

As shown in Fig. 4, the Wire H is led around pulleys L, secured to the bridge-timber, up and overa pulley, Z, secured to a suitable support, M, and thence down to one end of a lever or walking-beam, N. The lever N is fulcrumed on a suitable support, 0, and its opposite end is connected with a piston in a cylinder, P, bya connecting-rod, p. 1 The cylinder P communicates with different parts of the bridge through small pipes Q, which may be concealed, and which may be filled with water or simply air. The heat due to a burning timber will raise the temperature of the air or water in the pipe Q, will force the piston in the cylinder P up, and hence will draw on the wire H and set the danger-signal.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Ina danger-signal for railways, the combination, with a housing, of a vertically-yielding and horizontally-swinging arm pivoted at one end in said housing and adapted to be locked to said housing in operative position and carrying a signal, and the arm-actuating wire connected to the arm and to the rail or rail-support along which it extends and subject to strain by any displacement of the rail or its support, substantially as set forth.

2. In a danger-signal for railways, the combination, with a movable signal, of a wire connected with the signal and secured to and concealed beneath the rail and subject to strain by any displacement of the rail, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of a movable, ,signal and a wire leading therefrom across a bridge, uprights O and M, a lever, N, fulcrumed to the upright O, a pulley pivoted on the upright M, the cylinder P, a piston within the cylinder having its end connected to one end of the lever N, and branch pipes communicating with said cylinder and leading to different parts of the bridge, the said wire passing around the pulley upon the upright M and connected to the opposite end of said lever, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of the box provided with an opening at the side, the horizontally-swinging arm pivoted in the box and adapted to be swungthrough the side opening, the box-cover, the spring engaged with the cover and the swinging arm, and the arm-operating wire, substantially as set forth. 7

5. The combination of the box provided with an opening at the side, a recess in the bottom of the opening, the horizontally-swinging arm pivoted in the box and adapted to swing through the side opening, the box-cover, the spring engaged with the cover and the swinging arm, and the arm-operatin g wire, substantially as set forth. g

6. lhe combination of the box provided with an opening at the side, the horizontally-swingin g arm pivoted in the box and adapted to swing through the side opening, a signal-light support secured to turn with the arm and'the box-cover, the spring engaged with the cover and the swinging arm, and the arm-operating wire, substantially as set forth. I

In testimonywhereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANCIS ALLEN.

Witnesses:

BESSIE E. YOUNG, LENAMAcKoY. 

